Every day, I come across some fascinating stories across the Internet. Of course, sprinkled in between these articles and how-to guides are a few not-so-original pieces, ones that I’m convinced I’ve read elsewhere with slightly different wording. Somehow, even though these articles are basically repurposed versions of other articles, certain topics still manage to grab the attention of many readers and strike up a lively debate.

Now, most writers are guilty of falling into this pattern once in a while without realizing it, but some stories just won’t go away. This week, we’ll go into some of the latest of those over-done story topics that will nevertheless get your readers talking, whether the articles reveal any new information or not! (Keep in mind, this was all written in good fun. 🙂 )

The Post-Weekend Five: Over-Done Story Topics to Get Readers Talking

1. Millennials and everything they have ever done wrong.
For about five years now, I have been reading articles about the millennial generation (mainly people in their teens, twenties and early thirties, depending on your preferred generational cut-off) and their sense of entitlement, lack of work ethic and inability to become functioning, well-adjusted adults. Many of these articles throw in the argument that, while growing up, millennials were rewarded for “participation” and not achievement, and that this has had a profoundly negative effect on their overall development. The articles also discuss the fact that many of these millennials were also encouraged that, with hard work, they could achieve their dreams, no matter how far-reaching. I have a lot of opinions about both the internal and external factors that have shaped my generation, but nothing that hasn’t been said before. Somehow, people (especially those older than the millennials) still love to harp on this topic, so it comes up frequently online and in publications, usually stating the same thing as the last article.

2. Selfie culture.
This often goes hand-in-hand with the millennial stories, but people not of the younger generation are fascinated by the concept of selfies. I never noticed this before until people began to question me (a 23-year-old who is embarrassingly guilty of taking these pictures) about the trend and genuinely wanted to know about it. Articles pop up all the time about plastic surgeons who have perfected surgeries for the optimal selfie, step-by-step lists on how to take the right selfie for Instagram, how selfies represent the decline of the younger generations and everything wrong with American culture as a whole… Okay, I may be exaggerating there, but you get the point! At the rate we are going, there will soon be more selfie-related articles than actual selfies. (Just give it a few years for this fad to wear out.)

3. Jennifer Lawrence.
Jennifer Lawrence is a talented actress with a bright future ahead of her, but most Jennifer Lawrence-related articles have nothing to do with the actress’ projects and everything to do with how “relatable” and “down-to-earth” she is. In the past few years, Jennifer Lawrence memes have gone viral across the web, mainly consisting of the Hunger Games star making silly faces or saying inappropriate things. (As a public relations professional, I truly believe that many of J. Law’s red carpet blunders and crazy quotes are just as encouraged by her handlers as the next perfectly-curated celebrity… but I digress.) While I admire Jennifer Lawrence’s skills and success in Hollywood, I also think we have seen enough “look at this adorable thing Jennifer Lawrence did” articles to last a lifetime.

4. The 90s.
Don’t get me wrong, the 90s were great! I was born in 1990, so of course the thoughts of Tamogatchi, butterfly clips and Hey Arnold! bring me plenty of nostalgia. I am certainly a child of the 90s and proud of it. But I also see the same 90s pop culture articles several times each month, commemorating the same exact mementos of that time period. I have never seen a decade more adored on the Internet. (Perhaps this has something to do with those dang millennials!) Instead of constantly posting lists that mourn our childhood, let’s look to the future!

5. Ryan Gosling.
Just kidding. There can never be enough Ryan Gosling.

What topics do you think have been overdone?